


Apparently, Nico has a cat now

by Mistystormz



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Canon Universe, Cats, Hades tries to be a good father, M/M, Nico and Percy are already in a relationship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Percico - Freeform, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 20:11:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9511304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistystormz/pseuds/Mistystormz
Summary: Hades gets Nico a kitten. That's basically it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just so you guys know, this is my first fanfiction ever. So, I'm sorry if it might seem bad. I might add to/edit it later. Hope everyone enjoys!

Nico yawned, stretching as he sat up on his bed. His eyes squinted when he opened them, not yet used to the sudden brightness. Groggily, he looked around his bed, then at himself. The only thing he wore was his grey long sleeve shirt which he was wearing on yesterday and his boxer shorts.

He released a groan of displeasure, not wanting to fully wake up yet. He was actually having a nice dream for once. He fell backwards into his pillow for one last time, savoring the content and warm feeling that went through his body. He felt the temptation to stay there, relax and not face whatever challenges the gods had set up for him today. But he had to get ready for breakfast.

Sunlight filtered through the blinds of the small windows on each side of his door, slightly lighting up the dark room and warming his cabin. Nico reached up to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Once again, he stretched his arms over his head to relieve the tension he felt tugging at his body. He hated mornings, but waking up peacefully like this was much better than suddenly waking, panting, sweating, and shivering because of a nightmare.

He didn’t know how the Apollo kids do it, waking up the second the sun appears over the horizon. They were always so energetic in the mornings too. He’s only energetic in the mornings after he’s had his coffee or some type of caffeine.

The warmth of the soft, dark grey blanket he fell asleep with had disappeared. After a few seconds, he realized that he must of somehow kicked it off the bed when he was asleep. No wonder why he felt slightly chilled. At least the sun was enough to satisfy him at the moment.

He slowly gazed around his empty cabin. Everything was the same, as usual. A picture of him and Hazel sat on his nightstand, to the left of his bed. The two extra cabin beds remained untouched on the other side of the room, only used when Hazel or Reyna decided to visit. His dresser sat pressed to the wall right beside the bathroom door. His Stygian sword leaned against the wall beside the front door, while his jacket and jeans laid in a heap on the floor. A clock hung on the wall opposite to him, which read 7:23 AM.

Those were basically the only things he had in his cabin. He realized why Hazel was constantly bothering him about putting more things in his cabin. It was kind of bland.

He sighed as he finally forced himself out of bed, just to immediately slip on his blanket and nearly fall flat on his face. His hands immediately shot out to catch himself on instinct, stopping himself from face planting on the cold stone floor. He stayed in that position for a few seconds to shake off the shock before pushing himself back to his feet and brushing himself off.

There was a faint throbbing in his wrist from his hand landing in an awkward angle. He had a feeling it would bother him for the rest of the day.

_Great way to start the day, Nico._

He was fully awake now, no longer feeling the grogginess clog up his brain, and began his morning routine. He brushed his teeth and took a quick shower, getting dressed in his normal clothing. A black skull shirt, black pants, boots, and his jacket.

Hazel had given him a brush so he could contain his slightly long hair in the mornings but he never used it. He felt there was no use because his hair would get messy again later.

He stood in front of his door, hesitating. He really wanted to just stay in his cabin all day. It’s not that the camp still doesn’t feel comfortable around him, they had finally accepted him not too long ago. He feels at home at camp half blood. no other camper could really change that. Besides he had a dorky boyfriend to look after. Also if he didn’t go to breakfast, Will, Jason, or Percy would probably come looking for him.

He gave another sigh, grabbing the handle and swinging the door wide open. The camp didn’t seem very active (thankfully), but that was most likely because everyone was at breakfast. It was peacefully quiet except for the few campers that passed by occasionally, some waving to him and wishing him a good morning.

He took a tiny step forward, but his foot bumped something causing him to trip and nearly fall on his face for the second time that morning. He stumbled for a bit before regaining his balance. He looked down, glowering, and found a small basket laying on the ground.

A look of confusion replaced his scowl. _What?_ A basket? Did someone leave something for him? He crouched down to inspect it.

A small card was attached to the outside and it was filled with grey blankets. Other than that, it looked like a normal basket. Huh. He carefully picked it up, cautious in case there was something else in the basket that could break. There was definitely more in the basket than just blankets, telling from how much it weighed.

He carried it inside his cabin, completely forgetting about breakfast, and sat it down on his bed. The card was black and had ‘ _Nico_ ’ written on the front in bold, white, fancy letters. The basket was black as well.

He gingerly picked up the card, turning it in his hand to look over the back, before opening it.

Nico’s nose scrunched up at the effort to read with his dyslexia.

_“Son,_

_I do hope you are having a good morning and that you found this card easily._

_Persephone also wishes you well._

_We thought over it for awhile and agreed to get you something to accompany you in your cabin. We would like for you to have someone live with you, since almost every other cabin has at least 2 or more campers living in them and Hazel doesn’t visit that often._

_We thought a feline would suffice, would it not?_

_The feline is a black Maine Coon. Persephone thought that the fact that it is black would make you happy. Underneath your bed, there is a box. It holds all you need to properly care for your new pet._

_Best of wishes,_

_Hades_

_PS. This was mostly Persephone’s idea”_

Nico stared at the card for a solid two minutes in shock. He glanced over at the basket, then back at the card. _A feline?_ Cats hated him! And his father wanted him to live with one?

He slowly put the card down and took a small step toward the basket. But just as he was about to touch the blankets, they started shuffling. Fuzzy, black ears popped up from underneath them, followed by a small head with bright blue eyes.

The Maine Coon kitten stared up at him, tilting it’s head to the side in curiosity. A small mew left the kitten’s mouth as Nico stood there, frozen. _A kitten_. Hades got him a fucking kitten. The kitten continued to gaze at Nico as he stared back. Is he supposed to do something? What do people even do with kittens?

The first thing that came to mind was to leave for breakfast, forget this ever happened, and sleep over at Percy’s tonight. But… No. His boyfriend probably wouldn’t like that (Leaving the kitten alone, he means). Okay, yeah, so maybe that isn’t the best route.

Then pet it maybe? That sounds like the right thing to do. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? He took another step forward and cautiously touched the top of the kitten’s head. The fur felt soft and smooth under his fingertips. It immediately leaned against his hand, purring.

Nico jumped back, surprised at the reaction. He had expected it to hiss and claw at him. The kitten looked confused, trying to follow his hand, only to have their back paw get stuck in the blankets. At this point, Nico could see the whole kitten. The first thing he noticed was that it was fairly small, though big enough to be away from it’s mother. Second, the fluffiness. The fur seemed to puff out more around the neck and chest area, reminding Nico of a lion mane. It’s tail was half the size of his body from the amount of fur. Third was it’s paws. They were bigger than a normal kittens paws. They were the only thing about the kitten that seemed threatening. He had a feeling that once the kitten grew up, it would be a really strong jumper.

Nico took a step back to go over what was really happening. So basically, his father gave him a kitten and expected him to take care of it. And it was to live with him to keep him company He sat down on the bed next to the basket and watched as the kitten struggled to get it’s paw unstuck from the blankets. It gave a frustrated whine as all its attempts to get free failed. He was supposed to care for this?

Nico reread the card to make sure. There were supplies underneath the bed?

_Oh geez, this is really happening._

He gently grabbed the kitten’s back paw, helping pull it free from the blankets, before hopping off the bed to look underneath it. The kitten, once again, tried to follow him but immediately stumbled over it’s own paws and fell on it’s side.

The box was so huge Nico was unsure of how it fit under his bed. It looked like a normal everyday cardboard box. The only difference was that it was a light grey color. He tried to lug it out, but it barely moved. How did his father expect him to get the supplies if they were so heavy that he could barely move it? He tried again. No give.

Nico huffed in frustration. He could get it later. Right now he had to figure out what to do with the kitten. He got back on the bed again. The kitten instantly rushed forward and jumped into his lap.

Nico stared at it for a few minutes, hesitating. How was he supposed to react? There was a purring fluff-ball rolling around in his lap. Is there any proper way to react to that?

“Uh… Hey, Kitty… ?” Nico tried. The kitten purred, rubbing his head against his arm. Okay? He was obviously bad at this. Hmmm… what about a name?

Blue?… No that sounds like what Percy would name his cat.

Crystal? Wait. No, that’s a female cat name. He looks like a male.

Storm?

Raven?

Why is this so difficult? He studied the kitten. It had big paws so maybe Paws? No, that isn’t very creative.

Then he saw the fluff around the kitten’s neck again. It had reminded him of a lion… _Lion_. That sounds like a good name.

“Does Lion sound good?” Nico asked the cat. They replied by purring and rubbing against his arm more. He felt a little idiotic for talking to a cat but now he knew that the kitten was fine with it’s new name. He started petting Lion, now feeling slightly more comfortable knowing that the cat wasn’t going to hiss and try to bite him. Nico had never felt anything so soft. Did his father enchant it or something? How is it so soft? This is probably the first time he has petted a cat without it biting him, so he kind of wanted to cherish the moment.

Then, suddenly, his cabin door was flung open and Will, Jason, and Percy came running in. Lion hissed and jumped back at the intrusion.

“Nico! Why weren’t you at breakf-” Will stopped, noticing the small kitten that was currently scrambling to get behind Nico. It mewed at the three boys, it’s fur standing on end.

“Is that a… cat?” Percy took a step forward, causing Lion to hiss louder. Nico looked up at the clock again. It read 9:07. Oh. It’s been 1 and a half hours?! It seemed like only 15 minutes had passed since he woke up. Okay, so apparently he missed breakfast then.

“Um, how do I explain… ?” Nico started awkwardly. “My dad wanted me to have a companion in my cabin… ?”

“So he got you a kitten?” Jason shuffled forward past his boyfriend and reached his hand out to Lion, causing the cat to shrink back.

“What did you name him?” Will asked curiously.

“Lion,” Nico replied shortly. He grabbed the card sitting on the bed beside him and handed it to Jason. “Here. That should basically explain everything.”

Jason read it quietly before passing it to Will, and then Will to Percy, all taking a while with their dyslexia.

“So your dad really got you a cat, huh?” Will looked surprised, gods normally don’t give their children anything without asking for something in return. “‘ _Underneath your bed, there is a box. It holds all you need to properly care for your new pet._ ’ Huh,” Percy read. “Have you got the box yet?”

“Yeah,” Nico huffed. “It’s under there, but it’s way too heavy for me to move it.”

“You need help then, Neeks?” Jason asked.

“Don’t call me that,” Nico grumbled the same time as Percy said, “Only _I_ get to call him that!”. The small Italian hesitated a few seconds before answering. “And… yes. I need help.”

“Oh. I nearly forgot.” Jason seemed to pull a small thing wrapped neatly in a napkin out of nowhere. He handed it to Nico, and watched as he unwrapped it. A small brownie sat in his hand.

“It’s not much but Percy wanted to bring you something incase you were hungry. Y’know since you missed breakfast.” Nico grinned at Percy, uttering a quick thanks before taking a bite. His boyfriend and his best friend crouched down to look at the box, while Will continued to stare at the kitten and Nico finished off his brownie.

“How did it even fit down there?” Percy muttered.

“It’s a god who did this,” Jason replied. “What do you think?”

Percy gripped the sides of the box and attempted to heave it out. I didn’t budge for him either.

“Well damn,” Percy grunted, sitting back. “That _is_ heavy.”

“Let me try,” Jason reached forward. He tried and received the same result as Percy.

“Huh,” Jason said. “How, exactly, are we supposed to get it out from under there?”

“I don’t know,” Nico responded, grabbing the now curious, yet tense kitten who was now trying to jump off the bed. Nico stared down at the tiny kitten in his arms. Did his dad actually do anything to him? If he’s so cautious about them, how come the small kitten instantly warmed up to him? He started petting him, hoping to make him somewhat calm.

Nico sat Lion back down closer to the middle of the bed. Will got on his knees beside the bed so he was eye-level with the kitten, slowly reaching out to pet him.

“Well, they definitely seem a bit shy,” Will mumbled, as the kitten still made a sudden leap to get behind Nico, escaping from his hand. “Are you sure it’s a he?” Will questioned. “Did you check?”

“Eww, Will, no!” Nico shuddered, glancing back at the kitten.

Will sighed, “But what if it’s a girl? You already named it a kind-of-boyish name. And, hey, I had to deliver a _baby satyr_. This is nothing.”

“As much as I hate to say it, he’s right, Nico,” Jason called from where he sat on the floor with Percy, trying to figure out a way to move the box.

“ _Hey_!” Will huffed indignantly, “I’m always right.”

“Yeah right,” Percy rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you two just figure it out already.”

Nico cringed, picking up Lion and shoving him(?) into Will’s hands despite the loud hiss of protest from the young cat. “I can’t do it. It’s gross. I refuse.”

“Aww Nico,” Will chuckled, shifting around the kitten in his hand so he could hold it in a way that it wouldn’t be able to scratch or bite him. “I thought you were already used to this type of stuff, ya know, since you’ve been spending so many nights over at Percy’s cabin.” Nico’s face flushed scarlet, while Percy chuckled along with Will. “Oh, he is,” Percy grinned dangerously, his sea green eyes gleaming. He wiggled his eyebrows at Nico.

Nico squeaked, turning even redder. “Whatever! Is Lion a boy or a girl, Will?” He asked, desperately trying to change the topic.

Will was silent for a couple seconds. “I don’t think Lion is an appropriate name anymore.”

“Lion’s a _girl_?” Jason looked up.

“Well, you can check yourselves if you want.” Will deadpanned.

“I’ll pass,” Nico and Jason said at the same time, causing Will and Percy to snicker again.

“Should we change the name then?” Percy said, standing up to sit on the bed beside Nico. “Your call, Babe.”

“I say we keep it,” Will laid the fussing kitten on the floor so she could explore.

“I’m with Will on this one,” Percy said, pressing a small kiss to Nico’s cheek.

“I guess I’ll keep it then,” Nico said, but then chuckled. “It’s actually really ironic that we’re naming this shy kitten _Lion_.” Percy grinned. “I like it.”

Lion was stumbling around, getting used to the hard, cold floor in comparison to the soft, warm blankets. She mewed up at Jason and Will, crawling underneath the bed to hide. Dust and dirt collected on her legs and paws, as she padded around the small space.

Nico really had to clean his cabin. He never really felt the need to since he had everything important to him in Percy’s cabin (other than the picture of him and Hazel), yet Hazel still bothers him about it. He only sometimes sleeps in Percy’s cabin. If he did every night, Chiron would find out.

He doesn’t know how, but it’d happen. Then Hazel would find out and she would probably make it her goal to put a stop to it. She wouldn’t like the idea of Percy sleeping with her brother. Hazel rarely visits though, so Nico didn’t know how she would be able to stop it for more than a week. Eh, it didn’t matter. Right now, he had worse things to worry about, like the kitten that was hiding under his bed.

Jason got up from the floor and stood beside Will, having given up. “What should we do then?” He asked. “We clearly can’t move the box alone.”

“Gee, I don’t know.” Will sarcastically answered as he sat down on the bed on the other side of Nico, a little bit too close for Percy’s liking. “If we can’t move the box alone, why not _work together_.”

Jason blinked at Will for a few seconds, before facepalming, “ _Of course_ , that’s the logical thing to do. I seriously hadn’t thought of that.”

“That’s probably because you two want to see who can actually do it, so you can hold it over the other’s head for the rest of the week,” Nico huffed as Percy hugged him to his side. “It’s always competition between you two.”

“Aww, what’s wrong with a little bit of competition,” Percy whined, resting his head on Nico’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong is that you wake me up at _3 AM_ because you and Jason want to see who can stay up the longest.” Nico grumbled, scowling as he remembered that night. He had forced Percy to go to his own cabin after that horrible event so he could sleep in peace.

“That was one time!” Percy fussed.

“What about that other time yo-” Nico broke off in a squeak as Percy bit his shoulder rather harshly. “Percy! W-”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Will stepped in. “Stop arguing like an old married couple and Percy, no biting business while we’re around.”

Percy and Nico grumbled under their breaths, but otherwise stayed silent.

“Now, Will come help me with the box,” Jason said.

“Why _me_? Wouldn’t Percy be better suited for the job?” Will fell backwards onto the bed. “Besides Nico’s bed is comfortable.”

“Yeah, well don’t get used to it,” Percy mumbled darkly, hugging Nico closer.

“You came up with the idea of working together, Will,” Jason pointedly looked down at Will.

“Yeah, but it’s Nico’s cat, so that means it’s also Percy’s cat,” Will closed his eyes. “He should be the one doing it.”

“Why can’t I do it?” Nico frowned. “Like Will said, it’s my cat.”

“No, no,” Will grinned. “You’re too small and cute to be doing any hard work.”

“I literally went through _Tartarus Alone_. I think I can handle one heavy box,” Nico glared at Will, “And I’m not _little_! I’m still growing!”

“Oh, don’t worry, babe,” Percy grinned, “I’m well aware you’re big.”

Nico abruptly stood up much to Percy’s complaint, his ears turning red. “Alright, I’m helping.”

He and Jason got on the floor. He gripped one side of the box while Jason gripped the other and heaved. The box did actually move this time, but not that much. It had only moved about 3 inches, yet they still pressed on.

After repeating the process a few times, they finally managed to pull it out fully from under the bed and in the center of the room.

The box popped open easily and Nico finally did realize why it was so heavy. The box was filled with every single supply you need to take care of a cat; a blue cat bed, a blue collar (though he probably wouldn’t use it), litter, a litter box, a few toys, cat food, grooming tools, two metal bowls for food and water, A guide book, a scratching post, a carrier, a small vacuum thing to clean up cat fur, and that wasn’t even all of it.

“Seriously, how did he do this?” Will exclaimed. “It’s physically impossible! All this stuff can’t fit into one box!”

“Like I said, It’s a god who did this,” Jason picked up the food bag. “Anything is possible when it comes to them.”

Will frowned, “But they needed our help to defeat Kronos and Gaea.”

“ _Almost_ anything is possible,” Jason corrected himself and moved to place the bag on the floor, leaned against the wall beside Nico’s bed on the right.

Nico picked up the guide book, which was quite thick, and flipped to a random page, reading only the first paragraph.

_Litter accessories_

_A new cat and a new litter box go hand in hand. Do your cat a favor by providing your cat with a clean, comfortable, and quiet place to do his business. As for box options, there are many: the open pan, enclosed, and the newest type on the market – self-cleaning. As for litter types, your choices include, clumping, non-clumping, sand, clay, pellets, etc. You may have to decipher your cat’s personal taste with a little trial and error._

“Welp, I know already that this will be a painful experience,” Nico shut the book and sat it on his bed, where Percy still lay. “I guess I’ll be doing a lot of reading.”

“Wait,” Will glanced over at the book. “You’re actually going to read _all_ of that? Don’t we all have really bad dyslexia?”

“Well, yeah,” Nico responded. “I won’t like it but if I want to properly take care of Lion then I have to know what I’m doing.”

Jason held up the brush and bathing soaps to inspect them, “These are all top-notch quality. All this stuff must’ve cost a fortune.”

“Which shouldn’t be a problem for Hades, since he’s the god of _wealth_.” Percy snorted. “But that also makes it no problem for Nico too. He could always borrow some money from his father.”

“Percy, I’m not going to mooch off of my father’s money,” The italian frowned. “If I need money for supplies to take care of Lion, sure, I’ll ask him. But i’m not going to be spending his money left and right.” Nico felt something pawing at his leg. He looked down and Lion sat beside his foot, looking up at him expectantly.

Oh. He had forgot she was there. She whined at him, tail sliding back and forth on the floor.

“How long do you think it’s been since she ate?” Percy asked. “I always whine when I’m hungry.”

“I’m well aware of that Percy,” Nico grabbed the bowls out of the box, placing them beside the food bag. “Now, find scissors.”

“ _Hey_! You whine too!” Percy scowled, but complied nonetheless. Nico gathered Lion is his arms and carried her across the room too. Percy came soon after with scissors, then cutting open the food bag and pouring some into the bowl.Nico also poured some water from the water bottle on his nightstand into the other bowl.

Lion stepped forward and sniffed the food, then immediately took a bite.

“She must’ve been really hungry then,” Percy grinned as he watched the kitten munch down a fourth of the bowl in only about 2 minutes.

“While she works on that, we should finish setting up,” Nico left Lion to eat and headed back over to help Jason carry the scratching post, which apparently had more than one part. There were ledges and little box houses(?) that you could attach to it. But, all the parts were kind of big and heavy so Jason and Nico could only carry one at a time.

Like, seriously, how much stuff do you need for one kitten? Will was working on setting up the litter box and Percy worked on the cat bed and grooming supplies.

\---

It was noon by the time they finished and Nico was ready to just pass out. It took them 3 and a half hours just to set it up and Nico wondered, if just setting up to take care of a cat was this hard, how hard was it to actually care for the cat itself?

They moved the two extra beds together in the far corner so they didn’t have to worry about them before they set up everything, and they still sat there. Nico wasn’t exactly sure what to do with them yet. The grooming supplies and the vacuum were put in a cupboard in the bathroom and the carrier was put at the bottom of his closet, only to be used when needed. The small blue cat bed was laid on the floor to the left of the bed and the collar was placed with the carrier because he didn’t think he would use it much. The scratching post was put on a small wooden platform across the room from his bed and all the small toys were gathered in a small bin sitting just left of the scratching post.

He wasn’t sure where to put the litter box so he sat it in the bathroom across from the toilet. It seemed pretty convenient and since it was one of those really fancy, high-tech ones, it wouldn’t stink up the bathroom. Although, he still had to clean it out himself, which he wasn’t excited for. Though, all that wasn't the hard part. Before they could do anything, they had to put together everything. The carrier, the scratchpost, and even the vacuum had to be put together, and the instructions didn’t help much at all. It was just a mess of different parts and the constant questions of:

“Where does this go?”

“Why is this not fitting?”

“Is this even in this set?!”

“Um, why is it… leaning? Is it supposed to be doing that?” _No, Percy. You'd see that if you at least tried to read the instructions._

Not to mention organization was a problem. Jason kept on mixing up the shampoo and conditioner because he just happened to have “lost” his glasses the day before. Percy, somehow, had switched the food and litter bag at least twice and Will; the only problem he had was with separating the parts, because before they managed to put the carrier, vacuum, and scratching post together, he had accidentally mixed all their parts up, making it take much longer than necessary.

The large grey box laid empty in the corner, forgotten. Now Nico sat on his bed while Lion explored his cabin, flipping through the care guide. Will had left a few minutes ago to start his first shift at the infirmary and Jason was kidnapped by Piper not too long after that.

He flipped to the next page.

_Cat Training Basics _

_Training can be as simple as making inappropriate behavior unpleasant and appropriate behavior fun. Scratching the furniture, jumping on the counter and climbing the curtains: like it or not, it’s normal feline behavior. If your cat were living in the wild, these are the sorts of activities she would be engaging in._

_Unfortunately, these types of behavior don’t translate well to urban living. Try to understand your cat’s needs and give her an appropriate way to express them._

_Reward rather than punish _

_Whatever your training needs may be, be sure to follow the practice of rewarding your cat for good behavior, rather than punishing her for bad habits. With the proper training, your cat will learn that she gets a treat whenever she scratches on the cat tree instead of the furniture or sits on the window perch instead of the counter: Don’t hit or punish your pet when she “misbehaves.” Outbursts will just make your cat afraid of you. Redirect your cat’s attention to something acceptable and reward “good” behavior. Though small scolds are fine for the first few months._

 

Nico sighed as he shut the book and laid it on his nightstand. Percy was napping beside him, drool trickling from the corner of his mouth and falling on his pillow, leaving a damp mark.

 _Gross_. He’d have to wash them… or he could sleep over at Percy’s, even though those pillows were probably covered with drool. But he also had to take care of Lion. After Will and Jason left, Lion seemed a lot more relaxed. She still tensed up around Percy, but otherwise was fine.

She already knew how to use the litter box so Nico was thankful that he wouldn’t have to teach her. That would probably be a very messy experience.

Nico smiled softly down at Percy’s sleeping form, gently running his fingers through his dark hair. Percy mumbled something in his sleep and shifted, causing Nico’s smile to widen. He could fall asleep anywhere.

Then he realized, would Chiron allow him to keep a pet?

 _Oh_ , he should have gone to Chiron before he set everything up. Was keeping a pet even allowed?

He felt the blood drain from his face. What if Chiron took Lion away from him? He forcefully shoved the thought aside. No, Chiron wouldn’t do that, especially since it’s a _god_ who’s influencing this. He slowly got up, trying not to wake Percy and quickly checked on Lion who was experimenting with the scratching post, it’s ledges, and box house things. Then he left his cabin, heading towards the big house.

\---

Chiron looked up from the letter, a slightly shocked expression on his face. “Well, this certainly is uncommon. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Nico smiled nervously, “I was always kind of alone in my cabin. Sure, I have Hazel, but she visits rarely. I think my father was taking that into consideration.”

“I would let you go on with your day and keep her, but I need to know that you will be able to take care of her properly,” Chiron politely explained. “Normally gods don’t give their children random gifts, and this is a live animal you’re keeping.”

“Is there anyway I can prove it to you then?” Nico asked hopefully.

“Hmmm, I guess all I can really do is come and check in about 3 days,” Chiron shrugged dismissively. “Depending on how healthy she looks then, I will decide if you can keep her in your cabin.”

Nico breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Chiron.”

Chiron smiled at him and they both said quick goodbyes before Nico ran back towards his cabin, saying hi to Leo and Calypso while passing. He opened the door and- _oh no_.

The first thing he noticed was Lion, who sat in a small pile of stuffing and had a few wood chips stuck to her fur. Her claws were also unsheathed, completely covered in stuffing. One of her toys, a small bunny plush, laid beside her, ripped to shreds. And then he realized why she was also covered in wood chips. The bottom left leg of his bed had scratch marking all over it with a few bite dents.

_Why the bed of all things?_

Nico frowned as he shut the door, and walked over to where Percy lay, still napping. He had seriously slept through that? Wow.

Lion just sat there in the pile of stuffed animal guts and stared up at him.

“Um… bad kitty!” Nico scolded the kitten. “Scratching is only for the scratching post, not my furniture!” Lion’s ears drooped and she whined at his tone. Nico frowned harder. Bad approach? No, no. The book said a little bit of scolding is fine. She had to learn that he was the boss.

Oh, and this is only the start. There’s gonna be more of this, and he was definitely not looking forward to it. A soft snore was heard from the bed and Nico groaned in irritation. Chiron was coming to check in 3 days and he had to show him that he could own a cat properly. This was a really bad start. He sighed, gathering Lion in his arms and laying beside Percy. Lion crawled out of his arms and stretched her back paws and tail. Laying down on Nico’s pillow, she curled around his head. Well, as much as she could with her size. Nico closed his eyes and let a wave of sleep wash over him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the fic. I will hopefully be able to post the second chapter soon.


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